US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a attack on the Supreme Court of the United States a week after it struck down his sweeping global tariffs, warning that the ruling “could allow for Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to be returned to Countries and Companies that have been ‘ripping off’ the United States of America for many years”.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the decision “could actually continue to do so, at an even increased level”, adding: “I am sure that the Supreme Court did not have this in mind! It doesn’t make sense that Countries and Companies that took advantage of us for decades… would now be entitled to an undeserved ‘windfall,’ the likes of which the World has never seen before, as a result of this highly disappointing, to say the least, ruling.”
He questioned the judgment, asking: “Is a Rehearing or Readjudication of this case possible???”
By a 6–3 majority, the court ruled that Trump’s use of emergency powers under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose broad “reciprocal” tariffs was unconstitutional. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the Constitution does not grant the executive unilateral authority to levy taxes, saying the framers did not vest taxing power in the presidency.
The decision has created fresh uncertainty for businesses and global trading partners. While lower import duties might typically ease pressure on companies and consumers, economists say the legal turmoil and shifting signals from the White House could offset any benefit. Billions of dollars in tariffs collected so far may now face refund claims, though the court did not set out how that process should unfold.
Trump, however, signalled he would press ahead. Within hours of the ruling, he pledged to use alternative legal authority to impose a new 10% tariff, later raising it to 15%.
